UIA, architectural practice country by country
UIA Professional Practice Commission Database – the International Union of Architects (UIA) has a great searchable collection of information on architectural practice requirements and statistics for countries all around the world. It’s under practice overseas and is described as “the best existing database to understand the context in which architects work….” For firms considering international practice this is a good source of basic information.
You can see the search options in the screenshot above: by Country list, by Territorial scope, and by Research theme. Territorial scope means either continents, economic / political zones, or UIA-defined regions. Here is a list of the research themes with brief definitions:
- Statistics, including general information and useful adresses.
- Education, dealing with standards, internship, examination and titles.
- Regulation, indicating the process to access the profession.
- Practice, detailing the activities architects can carry, their liability or the insurances they need.
- Procurement, referring to the methods to obtain commissions or the way to calculate fair compensations.
- Transnational practice, informing about relevant aspects of international ventures
This sample page, from the Licensure Requirements section for Brazil, gives an idea of basic layout. Research themes are across the top.
Some countries have more information filled in than others. Compare, for example, Afghanistan and Switzerland. Every one I’ve checked also provides contact info for relevant professional organizations at the bottom of the Statistics section. Some entries have an indication of the last update, like Bulgaria (2012) and United States (2013), but many don’t include this very helpful bit of information. If you go in by subject you’re able to select search criteria on what amounts to an advanced search page.
While you’re there check out the UIA main website, in English or French. You can see what’s new, see if there are any competitions that interest you, or resources focused on UIA-related documents and activities like the ones below.